A Life with the Weasley Twins
by acauthor77
Summary: The story of Fred, George and their childhood friend Taryn. Rated M for future content.
1. Prologue

_Alright, here it is, my first Harry Potter fan fiction. I had started this on long ago on a different site, but now I feel my writing has improved to the point that I can do this justice. You'll notice the AU, sorry it's not mentioned in the summary. Enjoy everyone! XOXO_

_~Alex_

_Prologue_

_Taryn Coffer was born one month before Fred and George Weasley. Her parents were close friends with Arthur and Molly and the children began to have play dates at just a few months old. They all loved each other and she became something like their third twin. _

_Taryn was a metamorphmagous. If you've never seen a baby metamorphmagous (and something tells me you probably haven't) then you do not know how amusing they re. They mimic the appearance of those around them. On more than on occasion did the Coffer's pick up one of the three identical babies and not realize until diaper changing time that it was not their daughter. See, even then the three were partners in crime. _

_They grew up inseparable. At the age of six Taryn uncovered another rare talent. She was a Healer. Like her morphing ability this was not something that required a wand. Injuries, both mental and physical, minor and serious, disappeared with a touch of her hand. The Healer gene evidently skipped every other generation on Mrs. Coffer's side of the family, just as the metamorphmagous gene did on Mr. Coffer's side. _

_Needless to say, it was a very good thing that Taryn and the twins were so close. She was constantly saving there asses and helping them with schemes. They adored her. The three of them had a unique relationship._

_Taryn's parents, both full time ministry employees, often dropped her off at the Burrow for Molly to watch her. This meant Taryn was practically adopted into the already very large Weasley family. Molly and Arthur loved her like on of their own. Which meant that Molly was as overprotective of her as she was of her biological children. _

_Physically, it appeared Taryn needed this looking after. She was very petite. No matter how much sun she got, her natural skin stayed a pale shade of ivory. She had round, innocent looking eyes and they always had light shadow under them, no matter what she did to the rest of her appearance. She was a frail looking child, no doubt about it. However, if you knew her as Fred and George knew her, well, she was anything but frail. _

_The three all got their acceptance letters on the same day, and all at the burrow. Molly hugged Taryn equally as tightly as she hugged her boys. Though Taryn's parents gave her the money, Molly Weasley took her to Diagon Alley with the rest of the Weasleys. _

_That was the day Taryn, Fred and George fell in love with Zonko's. _

"_Ya know what?" a young Fred Weasley said, looking around in wonder._

"_What?" George and Taryn had replied, both of them taking their wide eyes off the display and turning them to the red haired boy. _

"_One day, we're gonna have ourselves a shop like this. We'll have our own joke shop, the three of us." and he grinned that scheming grinned that the other two knew oh so well._

"_Fred," George began, looking at his twin with admiration._

"_You're brilliant mate." Taryn finished, a smile on her face._

_Two weeks later, they were ready to go to Hogwarts._


	2. A Train Ride

Chapter One- A Train Ride

"Charlie, Percy, Fred, George, Taryn…hurry, we'll be late!" Molly called over the sound of the crowd in platform 9and3/4. As usual she was high strung and a little irritated. She bustled the lot through the crowd. She dragged along a nine year old Ronald who was jealous of his brother and Taryn. He hadn't stopped nagging his mother about wanting to go to Hogwarts since the day the letters arrived. " Mum don't worry so much, we've still got few minutes." Charlie replied. He couldn't believe he was about to enter his 6th year at Hogwarts. He also couldn't believe Fred, George and Taryn were now first years. He looked at his two brothers and their friend, who he considered a sister. Right now she looked the part too, with red hair and freckles. But she was a metamorphmagous, and that was bound to change at any moment. "Oh, Mum's right, we should hurry, I want a compartment by the front of the train." Percy piped up. "Pratt." the twins and Taryn muttered in unison. They then went back to their scheming about all the pranks they would be able to pull in Hogwarts. Unbeknownst to the others the three all had large stockpiles of supplies from Zonko's in their trunks. As they approached the scarlet steam engine however they all became silent. This was it. Molly said goodbye to all of them with a kiss on the cheek each, Taryn included since her real mother wasn't there and Molly did consider her a daughter.

Ron whined louder than ever.

"But Mum! I want to go! I really do! Can't I, please?" he begged.

"Aw, don't worry Ronniekins!" Fred said.

"We'll right you everyday!" George continued.

"And we'll back for the holidays." Taryn concluded.

Ron's sniffles stopped. He looked at his brothers and Taryn.

"You mean it? You promise?" he asked the three of them suspiciously.

"We promise." they swore simultaneously. Then the conductor called out. It was last call to board and tons of Hogwarts students were suddenly scrambling onto the steam engine. "Stay out of trouble!" she called as they boarded the train and it began to pull out of the station. Taryn and the twins grinned. Somehow they managed to find an empty compartment, which they immediately piled into. This was really it. They'd known each other since diaper-hood and now they were in the way to Hogwarts! "What do you think...black and short, violet and long....maybe platinum and curly, to the shoulders..." Taryn asked the boys, trying each of the styles in turn. "Violet and short." They replied in unison. As usual they just wanted to see her with something kind of odd that Molly definitely wouldn't approve of and would make her look like trouble. Her metamorphmagous skills had always been a source of amusement for all of them. As well as great source of mischief.

"So then, what about the eyes?" Taryn inquired. They went on with the little game until she ended up with spiky violet hair, green eyes, and flawless white skin…it was perfect. The train had been on the move for bout an hour when the sweets trolley was at the door. Fred and George didn't have much spending money, but Taryn...well, both her parents were in the Ministry and made rather hefty paychecks. She bought half the cart. "Help yourselves boys!" she said, smiling broadly as she unwrapped a Pumpkin Pasty. "Owe you one Ryn." Fred told her as he opened a Chocolate Frog. "Definitely...hand me those Bertie Bott's Fred." George said. Two hours into the trip Charlie showed up at the compartment door. "Oi you lot, better get changed, we'll be there in a half hour or so." he informed them. "Right then, thanks Charlie." Taryn replied. She grinned t the second oldest Weasley boy. He had become something of a big brother to her as well. Though they were never as close as she and Bill were, but that my friends is a story for another time. They changed quickly, and the boys really didn't peek. Normally they might have but now, well nerves were setting in. This was it. They were about to enter Hogwarts. They were about to start their lives as wizards and witch.

They stared a little at Hagrid, the half giant, as they exited the train. His loud calls for first years could be heard echoing around the platform.

"Right then, there sure are a lot o' ya. An' look, more o' the Weasley boys." he chuckled at the sight. "A'right you lot, I s'pose that's all o' ya. Now follow me to the boats, an' watch your step."

They followed without question, wondering to themselves why they needed to get in boats while the other students were all taking other routes. Fred, George and Taryn stayed close together, and walked right behind Hagrid. Finally they reached the lake.

The dark glassy surface reflected every star in the night sky, and the moon shimmered beautifully. On the lake's surface there were also dozens of tiny boats, without any oars or sails.

Hagrid called out "No more'an three to a boat. Three to a boat!"

Taryn and the twins clambered into the nearest boat. The other first years got into their own boats, most of them with people they had just met on the train, or didn't know at all. Then the boats began to move. Though all three were startled, Taryn gasped. The twins grinned.

"Aw, you scared Ryn?" Fred chided.

"What did you think was going to happen?" George chuckled.

"Oh shut up both of you." Taryn grumbled, blush appearing in her pale cheeks.

Suddenly they heard a sound in the water. Something was moving in the lake. All the first years looked around in a panic. George spotted it.

"Oi, is that the giant squid?" he'd heard his brothers speak of it before, but he, Fred and Taryn had always figured they were just trying to make them nervous.

Well, here was the proof that they hadn't been lying. A few of the girls let out little screams as Hagrid gave an affirmative shout. George grinned. From that day on he always had an interest in the mysterious creature.

They passed by without incident, which surprised some of the other students. They seemed to think that the squid was likely to grab a boat full of children. And then came the next amazing sight for the evening.

They turned the bend and there was a collective awed silence from the boats. There, silhouetted against the full moon in the night sky, was Hogwarts. The castle was so majestic, so ancient and so impressive.

"Wicked." Fred, George and Taryn all breathed simultaneously. And then they turned to each other, smiles on their faces. Smiles that said _This is going to be brilliant. _

The boats docked themselves at the lake's shore. All of the nervous first years stepped out onto the land. They looked up at the castle.

"This is it." Taryn whispered, standing between the twins, her boys.

"Aye, this is it." They agreed quietly.

Taryn took a hand of both twins, and they held on tight. And hand in hand, they walked to the castle.

Alright, there it is, the first chapter! Yay! Hope you liked it, please review. More to come ASAP. XOXOXO

~Alex


	3. Sorting and Feasting

Chapter Two- Sorting and Feasting

The soon to be first years were led into the Great Hall. They stood in a single file line in the center of the huge room. Round them were the four huge house tables. Taryn, Fred and George all had there eyes set on the Gryffindor table. There under the scarlet and gold banner they saw Charlie and Percy. They waved, eventually being spotted by the elder Weasley boys.

The three friends were nervous, of course. However, you had to know them all very well to see it. To the rest of the world they were just three smiling children. The fact that they were all still holding each other's hands in a death-grip was missed by most others.

The sorting hat was set down on the stool on the platform at the front of the Great Hall. The children in the center aisle stared at it quizzically. Many did not know what the dusty, moth-eaten hat was. And suddenly it began it's song.

Everyone was silent for the hat's performance. It sang of each house, of the founding, of the founders, of the qualities of each one in turn. The first years were enthralled in the song, listening to every word that the hat sang. At the end of it's song the Great Hall erupted in cheers. This was quickly silenced by the stern Professor McGonagall.

"And now the sorting shall begin!" She called the hall. "When I call your name you will walk up to the platform and place the sorting hat upon your head. When it announces your house, you shall go to the appropriate table." And so she began. Going through the alphabet, last name first. The a's and b's passed quickly. Then came the c's.

"Coffer, Taryn." rang out McGonagall's voice. Taryn took a deep breath.

"Good luck." the twins whispered as she walked toward the front of the room.

"Thanks." she whispered back to them. She got up on the platform and put the sorting ht on, sitting down on the stool. It slipped right over her eyes, stopped only by her nose.

Then she heard the little voice of the hat.

"Hmm, well you are an interesting young lady aren't you? Very smart, but quite a little trouble maker as well. A metamorphmagous, a Healer. Interesting talents. And…ah, best friends with the Weasley boys. Well, that settles it." it said.

Taryn's fingers had been crossed in her lap since she sat down. She had thought Gryffindor, Gryffindor, Gryffindor…

"Gryffindor!" the hat shouted out for the entirety of the Great Hall to hear. The cheering from that table was so loud it shook the room.

Taryn set the hat back on the stool and walked off the platform beaming. She sat at the Gryffindor table with Charlie who grinned at her. Percy, doing his best to be brotherly said

"Ah, good show there Taryn."

"Thanks Perce." she replied.

Then ensued the wait for Fred and George to be sorted. Taryn silently cursed the arrangement of the alphabet. Why is W so near the end? The wait was irritating, patience being a virtue that Taryn did not possess. Finally it came the time.

"Weasley, Fred" Taryn, George and Charlie watched him walk to the platform. A moment after the hat touched his flaming red hair it shouted out:

"Gryffindor!" Taryn, Charlie and even Percy cheered loudly at this. Fred walked over to the table, looking very much relieved. He sat comfortably next to Taryn and his brothers. And then:

Weasley, George." McGonagall called out loudly.

George, one of but a handful of unsorted students left and now without his brother at his side was relieved to hear his name called. He walked up to the platform and put the hat on his head.

Just as with Fred the hat shouted "Gryffindor!" the second it had touched his head. The Weasley boys and Taryn all cheered and clapped loudly. George sat down between Fred and Taryn.

"Ha! All together." Taryn said, grinning.

"As it should be." Fred added.

"Cheers to that, mate." George replied.

Taryn pulled both of them into a tight hug. She was suddenly squished as Charlie hugged all three of them together. He was happy to see his brothers and "sister" in Gryffindor House with him. He'd never had any doubts that Fred and George would be in Gryffindor. It was Taryn he was not sure about. He'd actually thought the tiny girl would end up in Ravenclaw. He was happy he'd been wrong.

Suddenly Albus Dumbledore stood at his sea at the faculty table. That simple action drew silence from the Hall. He cleared his throat politely and then said in his grand voice:

"I have a few words for all of you," a silent groan went up from the masses. "But they can wait until after the feast. " and the tables filled with food.

No, not even Molly Weasley cooked food like this. Every table in the Great Hall was laden with exquisite food. All the students tucked in eagerly, hungry after the long train ride and the sorting.

Fred and George piled their plates high with a bit of everything on the table. Taryn grinned at this, one of few ways she differed from the twins. She made herself a small plate, deciding that she could always make another if she was still hungry. The capacity of the stomach of an eleven year old is a surprising thing, and Taryn ended up going back for thirds.

And then there came dessert. It was suddenly as though none of them had eaten some gargantuan amount of food. Everyone seemed to manage to make room for the pudding, treacle tart, cakes, pies and everything else that had suddenly appeared. By the end they all felt very full, content and sleepy.

Casual conversation went on at all the tables. Students were greeting each other after a long summer holiday, first years were asking questions. Then Dumbledore stood again, and once again all conversation stopped. The Great Hall fell into an relaxed quiet.

"My good students and staff, as I said, I do have a few announcements to make now that we have finished our feast. First, I welcome all of the first years to Hogwarts." He paused for the small applause. "Now, students should remember that the Forbidden Forest is off limits to all students. Mr. Filch has asked me to remind everyone that there is to be no magic used in the corridors between classes. Quidditch trials shall be held in the second week of term. First years are eligible to try out for any position except seeker." Fred, George and Taryn all grinned. Quidditch had always been their favorite past-time. They spent good many hours flying through the air on broomsticks with the other Weasley boys.

"Anyone who would like to play for their house team should contact Madam Hooch." continued Dumbledore. "And that concludes our start of term announcements. Prefects, please lead the students to their dormitories. Off you go."

Charlie walked with the three first-years back to the dorm. "You lot trying out for Quidditch then?" he asked. As the captain of the team he was quite curious. He thought about how interesting it would be to have them on the team. He knew first hand just how well they all flew.

"Of course we are." Fred, George and Taryn all replied.

"We're all quite good." said Taryn.

"And a bit of the team from last year has graduated." added Fred.

"Plus, this guarantees you a good team, even after you've left Hogwarts." finished George.

Charlie chuckled. It always amused him how the three children spoke simultaneously, or in turn, or even finished each other's sentences. "The team would be lucky to have you. But you still have to try-out. Captain or not, I'm still subject to the rules."

They reached portrait of the Fat Lady just as the prefect who had led the other students to the dorm said "Blue Bell."

The portrait swung open like a door to reveal the entrance to the Gryffindor common room. Taryn followed the girl prefect up to the first year girls dormitory. Fred and George went up to their dormitory. They all then descended the stairs back to the common room to sit down in the arm chairs by the fire and chat before bed.

"You know what?" Fred asked.

"What?" Taryn and George responded sleepily from their big, squishy armchairs.

"I think we're going to really like it here." Fred told them.

"Agreed." George and Taryn replied. Then Taryn yawned, covering her mouth with the back of her hand.

Fred and George chuckled.

"Tired are you?" Fred asked.

"Mhmm." Taryn drowsily mumbled.

"Really? We couldn't tell." George said.

"Off to bed Taryn." They said together, helping her out of the chair.

"Alright." she said as they led her to the stairs. "But you two better go get some sleep yourselves. First day of classes tomorrow." her attempt at being authoritative was spoiled slightly by the yawn that punctuated the sentence.

"Yes m' am." the twins said, grinning. It might surprise you to know that the obeyed her. As she made her way up the stairs to the girl's dormitory, they crossed the room to the boy's.


	4. Classes and Quidditch

Chapter 3- Classes and Quidditch Try-Outs

The first two weeks of term brought about several revelations.

The first was that Hogwarts teachers were all very different. Personalities varied greatly. McGonagall was strict and professional and the closest thing to favoritism she ever showed was a like for her more diligent students, whatever house they might be in. Flitwick, the diminutive Charms teacher was soft spoken and kind. Then there was Professor Sprout who was quite motherly, and she quickly took to Taryn and the twins. Quirrel was frightened and mousy and…well, a joke really. His stuttering got irritating and he had trouble holding the class's attention. There was Binns, the only ghost professor at Hogwarts. Fred and George found his class a wonderful place to catch up on sleep they missed during their nighttime exploration of the castle and grounds. There were many teachers… and there was Snape.

Within their first few Potions classes Fred and George lost about fifty points for Gryffindor. It would have been far more if Taryn was as class-clownish as the twins. Which brings us to the second revelation:

Taryn was a model student.

While she was just as troublesome as Fred and George outside of class she was an absolute teacher's pet within the classroom. Her hand shot up at every question, her wand was the first to correctly perform every spell. She won about as many points for Gryffindor in class as she, Fred and George lost outside of it. All her professors (except Snape of course) absolutely loved her and were amused by the Weasley twins. She came into class every day looking different, which occasionally confused roll call, but otherwise, she was an angel. Fred and George teased her about this constantly. But, as I mentioned, she was still a troublemaker.

And that brings us to the third revelation: Sneaking around Hogwarts and its surrounding grounds and pulling pranks and jokes on everyone you can is a lot of fun, until Filch catches you.

Argus Filch was tied with Snape for the troublesome trio's least favorite person. He and his unpleasant cat Mrs. Norris did occasionally manage to catch them in the act of causing mischief and mayhem in the halls and grounds of the school. They caused enough of this to be called the new Marauders by some of the staff who remembered and the students who had heard the old stories. Detentions were never fun, though they managed to lighten the mood by plotting to exact revenge upon the caretaker. They rarely did everything they thought up, but sometimes the plans were just so brilliant they had to be carried out.

Taryn, Fred and George had quickly become popular, even with the older students of not only Gryffindor but Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw as well. They also found a good friend in fellow first year Lee Jordan. This was because of Potions. Snape had prohibited the trio from working as one team. George had instead moved to the cauldron behind him, where the young black boy had been sitting. They immediately got along rather well and soon, though not as tightly wedged into the group as Taryn or the twins, he was still a close companion.

Lee, like many others, always tried to guess which twin was which. And, like everyone that wasn't either a Weasley or Taryn, he rarely got it right except by chance. Taryn was always amused by this. To her Fred and George were as easy to tell apart as night and day. Though physically identical ,their personalities varied. It was not so obvious that everyone in Hogwarts would be able to figure it out, but when you'd grown up with them at your side, it seemed that way. Perhaps at the end of this tale, you'll be able to tell the difference as well.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Fred George and Taryn had eagerly awaited the end of the second week of term. Now they quickly scarfed down a large breakfast and made their way to the Quidditch Pitch. Try-outs today. They were going to see if they would be on the Gryffindor team. The butterflies in their stomachs seemed to become ever more irritating as they got closer to the pitch.

Gryffindor had the first try-out period of the day. The remainder of last year's team was already on the pitch, and consisted of two players. One of these, obviously, was Charlie. His short and stocky build was in stark contrast with the tall but muscled build of the boy standing next to him.

Charlie caught the attention of the chattering students with his commanding voice. "Alright you lot, quiet!" he called out. "For those of you who don't know, I'm Charlie Weasley, captain and seeker of this Quidditch team. And this her is Oliver Wood, he's our keeper and will be taking over from me as captain next year, while I'm still here to show him the ropes. What that means is, he has as much say in the team line-up as I do."

Most of the pitch looked at Wood with a new respect. Taryn had already been looking at Wood. The handsome and well built fourth year had caught her eye the moment she walked onto the pitch. She therefore resolved to fly better than she ever had before. If she wanted him to take any notice of her, she'd have to be on the team.

Charlie continued. "So, this is going as follows: those who want to try-out for the position of chaser, stand over there." he pointed to a corner of the pitch.

"Later." Taryn said to Fred and George as she walked off to the area indicated with the other chaser-hopefuls. She stood with about a half dozen others, a few of them first years. She refused to let anything get to her, she merely focused on flying to the best of her ability.

"Beaters!" Charlie called out. "over there!" he pointed to a piece of pitch not too far from the where the chasers were standing. Fred, George and four others walked to the spot Charlie had pointed out. They looked at their competition, some big burly oafish looking boys in fifth and sixth years. Then they grinned at each other.

"No problem." they said together.

With that, Charlie turned his attention to the chasers. "Alright then, here's how this works. Oliver is going to get on his broom and in the air in front of the goal posts. You are each individually going to have five tries to score on him. The three with the highest scores out of five will be our chasers. A tie will be settled by having you all those tied redo the exercise. This will also get Oliver back into Quidditch condition." He shot the fourth year a grin. Wood responded with something akin to a smirk of amused irritation. He got on his broom and kicked off into the air.

"Order will go by year, and within year it will be alphabetical by last name. Organize yourselves." they all rushed to do this with some confused chatter and then the try-outs truly began.

Taryn was third, behind a boy named John Ackerman who made one goal out of five, and hen a girl named Katie Bell, who made four out of five. And then it was Taryn's turn. She mounted the school broom, a Cleansweep5, and took the quaffle from Charlie, who gave her an encouraging wink. Then she kicked off hard from the grass.

She was allowed a few moments to get the feel of the broom before Charlie shouted "Begin!" as he had with the others. And at this signal Taryn put on an intimidating spurt of speed, looking s though she was going for the center hoop. Suddenly she feigned left but, at the very last moment she shot for the center goal post. Wood's finger's missed the quaffle by less than an inch as it flew through the golden hoop. Taryn couldn't help but smile as she retrieved the quaffle for her next shot.

This time she zigzagged back and forth, getting Wood to predict her every move. Then, she suddenly pulled up and flew so fast that Wood had no time to react as the quaffle flew over his head and through the goal-post. The shot afterward involved Taryn flying a loop and making the goal upside down, holding onto the broom like a monkey. Her goal after that was achieved by an interesting cork-screw like maneuver that even she had not expected.

At this point she had a fairly good chance of making the team, but the fifth goal would put it over the top. She retrieved the quaffle one last time and brought her broom back high into the air. She at first lazily moved from side to side, appearing indecisive. Then she shot forward, a blur in the sky. She pulled right at the last moment and threw the quaffle right through the hoop. Perfect five!

The Gryffindor students on the pitch whooped and hollered. She touched back down to cheers and applause. The rest of the chaser try-outs went relatively uneventfully. And it ended that there were three first year chasers. Taryn, Katie Bell and a girl named Angelina Johnson who was the only other contender to make all five goals.

"Well done you three and welcome to the team." Charlie said beaming at the three girls. Taryn smiled back.

"Charlie, I'm gonna be thanking you every day for the next two years for letting me work with this team. It's shaping up to be pretty impressive." Wood told him loud enough for everyone to could have sworn that the grin on his face was for her.

"Right then, on to beaters." said Charlie. He saw his brothers' smirking faces from where he stood. He wished he could just tell the other four to get off the pitch. Fred and George were very talented Quidditch players and the oafs that stood on either side of them looked as though they had only come to try-outs for the opportunity to hit things with clubs. Charlie barely managed to suppress the grin that threatened to appear at how appropriate an accessory a club would be to any of those burly boys.

"Beater try-outs will go as follows." Charlie continued. "Bludgers will go for anything in the air, so, we are all going to mount brooms and fly around. In pairs you will be given the beater bats and it will be your job to defend the fliers from the bludgers. Any questions?"

The more oafish looking of the two sixth years asked "Are we going to get into trouble if a bludger hits someone.?"

"Well, you won't be getting on the team." Charlie replied.

Fred and George exchanged a look that plainly said "we are definitely the most competent Quidditch players here." They already knew how this was going to turn out. They didn't expect the ensuing hilarity though.

"This time we'll be having the eldest go first." Charlie said. "Team, mount your brooms." Taryn, Katie, Angelina, and Charlie all mounted their brooms, as did the two sixth years. "Oliver, release the bludgers!" Charlie called as he and the other kicked off. Oliver did just that and then kicked off on his own broom.

The bludgers sped off wildly in two different directions. They hurtled like miniature cannon balls through the air. It was quickly proven how terrible these beaters were. As a bludger came flying at Katie one of the beaters came by and hit it ferociously just before it smashed into her. However, the bat-wielding moron had not looked at where he hit the bludger. It's new found direction and momentum launched it straight into the side of Charlie Weasley. He was thankfully only about ten feet off the ground, watching the other beater when it knocked him off his broom.

Taryn, seeing this dove to his side. Charlie was relatively unhurt, though little bruised. He looked up irately at the apologetic beater.

Meanwhile, the other beater got himself hit with a bludger. He did not fall off of his broom but he would not stop whining. They both landed at an irritated Charlie's feet.

"Next!" He shouted. Fred, George and Taryn were in stitches. Charlie rarely got mad, but when he did, you immediately knew he was Molly Weasley's son.

However, the next pair of beaters was as sorely disappointing as the first. A very sad display of poor flying ended as one sent a bludger flying into the other, who in turn had a midair collision. His broom jabbed Wood in the back so hard that he nearly toppled off his broom, which would have ended catastrophically as they were nearly thirty feet in the air.

And so finally it was Fred and George's turn.

"Well George, shall we show them how it's done?" Fred asked his twin with a grin on his freckled face.

"Yes Fred, I think we shall." George replied, with an identical grin.

The team took off one more time. And one more time Oliver released the bludgers. They were in the air for fifteen minutes and, not only hadn't the Weasley twins let a bludger touch anyone on the tem, but they themselves were not tired. And when Charlie called out that they were the new team beaters, Fred and George gave each other a mid-air high five before helping to wrestle the bludgers back into the case.

Taryn pulled both of them into a tight hug. " We're on the team!" she squeaked excitedly.

They hugged her back, chuckling a bit. It was a rare occasion that Taryn acted girly. When she did they couldn't help but laugh at how cute she was as compared to her normal, tom-boyish self.

Charlie addressed the new Quidditch team. "Alright, you are the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and you will win us the cup this year." They all cheered and applauded. "But before we can do that, we need to practice. Tomorrow after lunch, you will report for our first tem practice. Now you can all go about your business. See you at practice."

Alright, another chapter is up! Please review!!


	5. Discovery

Chapter Four- Discovery

In the midst of all the Quidditch practices, homework and classes, Fred, George and Taryn still found time to cause some mayhem in the school. Rare was the occasion that they were caught at it. When they were however they always split blame and consequences equally. So on the occasion that Filch caught Taryn planting Wet Start Fireworks outside of the boys bathroom that Fred and George were working to flood they all found themselves sitting in his office, cleaning old trophies.

Filch was watching them like a hawk, of course. He stood close by, making sure they didn't talk or stop scrubbing. They weren't allowed gloves, which meant that the essence of chimera saliva that they were using to remove stains and tarnish was badly irritating the skin of their hands. Taryn, who's skin was particularly sensitive, was grimacing, her small hands an angry shade of pink. And the curse of a Healer is that they can only heal the injuries of others ,not their own. Though their own heal unnaturally fast. They also never get sick.

The oppressive silence in the room was broken by a knock on the office door. Filch opened it to reveal a Hufflepuff third year who was soaked from head to toe.

"Mr. Filch! Someone's set up water spouts in the second floor corridor. Professor Dumbledore asked me to get you." the shivering boy announced.

Filch shot the trio scrubbing at the trophies an evil look. "You lot had better moved along a bit by the time I've gotten back. And don't go messing about in here, I'll know." he snarled at them before turning and making his way down the corridor. The Hufflepuff followed.

Taryn and the tins looked at each other and grinned broadly.

"We have to do something special for Lee later." Taryn said. She then cast scourgify on the remaining trophies. They shined and sparkled beautifully.

"Agreed." said Fred, walking over to Filch's desk.

"We owe him." George consented, looking over the shelves of miscellaneous confiscated items on the walls of Filch's office.

Taryn looked at her raw hands with an annoyed expression. Filch deserved a special kind of revenge for this. Meanwhile, Fred was looking through the desk drawers. He pulled one out too far and the resounding bang of it hitting the floor caused both the others to jump.

George applauded from the other side of the room. Taryn chuckled.

"Nicely done mate." She said as she walked to his side.

"Brilliant Fred!" George chided as he approached the contents of the drawer. He looked through, his fingers nipped once or twice by a Fanged-Frisbee. And then he came to a very thick packet of parchment.

"Oi, what do you think this is?" he asked the others.

"Well George, it appears to be parchment." Fred replied, looking at what his brother held.

Taryn rolled her eyes. "Well, there has to be a reason Filch confiscated it. I mean, other than the fact that he's a prat." she gave Fred a playful punch in the arm.

As Fred rubbed his arm and pouted in mock pain, Taryn took the parchment from George. She unfolded it, to reveal that it was completely blank everywhere.

"Hmm," she looked at it thoughtfully and then pulled out her wand, tapping it on the surface.

In a pretty scrawl, words appeared:

_Mr.'s Padfoot and Prongs would like to thank Miss Taryn Coffer and Mr.'s Fred and George Weasley for freeing this parchment from the confines of the desk of Mr. Filch. _

_Mr. Moony would like to point out that this means Taryn, Fred and George are all up to no good, and he applauds them._

_Mr. Wormtail would like to double check on this assumption of Mr. Moony's. _

_Mr. Prongs agrees with Mr. Wormtail._

_Mr. Padfoot would like to inform Miss Coffer and the Mr.'s Weasley that they have to swear they are up to no good._

The astonished trio were looking on in disbelief. The parchment was talking to them. They looked at Padfoot's statement and suddenly they grinned broadly.

"We swear." they said in unison.

_The Marauders say you have to do better than that._

Fred, George and Taryn were perplexed for a few minutes. What in the world were they supposed to say? It had asked them to swear, they swore. And then Taryn, ever the problem solver took her wand to the parchment again.

"We solemnly swear that we are up to no good." she stated. And then the parchment folded in her hand of its own accord. Words appeared across the front of it:

_Mr.'s Moony, Padfoot, Prongs and Wormtail are proud to present the Marauder's Map._

Taryn reopened it to reveal…

"Is this a map of Hogwarts?" Fred asked, gazing at it incredulously.

"Aye, it appears to be. And look, it show's you where everyone is." George was amazed as he pointed at the little moving dots and their labels. They found themselves in the ground floor office of Mr. Filch, who, coincidentally was not too far away.

"Bugger!" they all hissed simultaneously. The twins quickly put everything back in its place while Taryn frantically refolded the map and tried desperately to clear it again.

"We're done!" she shouted at it, irritated now. It stayed the same. "C'mon then, we managed…" an epiphany struck her. "Mischief managed." she squeaked hopefully, tapping the map with her wand. Miraculously, and just in time, it cleared. She, Fred and George dove back to their seats, soothing raw red hands and looking innocently at the haggard care taker.

"So, you lot managed all that then eh?" Filch asked them.

"Yes Mr. Filch." They said, acting as cute as they could, something twins and very tiny young girls do very well.

Filch glared at them suspiciously. However, their two hours was up anyway at this point, and, grudgingly, he had to let them return to their common room.

They left gratefully, Fred and George now openly complaining about their hands. George more than Fred because the Fanged Frisbee had actually cut him pretty deep. His right forefinger was dripping crimson blood.

"Let me see it." Taryn said in a near motherly tone. They had at this point entered the common room and were sitting in the big squishy armchairs.

George held out his hands to Taryn, who's own hands were already beginning to look like their normally pale selves. He winced slightly as she took the more seriously injured hand in her own. And then her hands glowed a blinding white and all the pain just left both hands, leaving them looking as though nothing had happened. She did the same for Fred, who thanked her in unison with his twin.

"This is why we need you around Taryn." Fred told her, smiling.

"Yeah." agreed George. "To help us unlock the secrets to enchanted maps and heal all the injuries that will undoubtedly befall us."

Taryn grinned at them. Her two best friends, her brothers, her boys. "Glad I can be useful." she said. "Now, I don't know about you two…but I want to have another look at that map."

They stayed up late into the night, and in the morning the other members of Gryffindor house discovered them, still sitting in the armchairs by the fire.

Sorry about the delay loyal readers!! Writer's block is a terrible thing. Hope you enjoyed it. Please review XOXO

Love, 

Alex


	6. Debut

Chapter Five- Debut

This years Gryffindor Quidditch team stood anxiously in the locker room. Charlie was about to make his big. Start of a new season speech. Taryn and the Weasley twins tried to laugh off the tension, the nerves. It was one of the few times that someone outside the family could tell the twins apart. Fred was the one looking tough, a cocky grin on his face as though this was going to be a cake-walk. George tried to look as confident as his twin, but instead looked like he was going to be ill. And Taryn? Well emotionally, Taryn was more Fred's twin than George would ever be. Her hair was a shining gold to show her house pride, and long enough to be put in a long ponytail, for the joint reason that it would keep at of her eyes and look very pretty flowing behind her as she zoomed down the pitch for her shot on goal. Her fellow chasers, Katie and Angelina, were nearly shaking with anticipation. Wood meanwhile showed about as much expression as he might have had he been truly made of Wood.

Charlie, the ever optimistic captain and seeker looked at his newly assembled team. "Alright ladies and gentlemen. This is my last year as the official captain of this team, and I want to make it a damn good season. Play your best out there. Ravenclaw's good, but, " he looked at all of the Quidditch players before him "we're better. So let's go out there and show them that."

The team cheered and applauded loudly. Wood knew then that he'd never have Charlie's flare for good speeches. He admired his captain, and walked out of the locker room with him proudly, followed by the other Gryffindor players.

They stood in the darkness of the pitch entrance for a moment. And then an enthusiastic Lee Jordan called out through the magical microphone:

" Ladies and gentleman!! Welcome to the first Quidditch game of the season!" the entire crowd roared. "Today's match, Gryffindor," the team ran out of the Gryffindor entrance to the wild cheers of that part of the stands. "versus Ravenclaw!" and the opposing team ran out to the encouragement of their fellow Ravenclaw students. Both teams walked to the middle of the field.

"Captains, shake hands." Madame Hooch commanded. Charlie extended his hand to the big, burly Ravenclaw Quidditch captain and keeper. He took it and they shook firmly. "I want a nice, clean game here." Hooch continued, though she didn't look too worried that anything otherwise would happen on the field, not from these two teams. "Mount your brooms!" The teams obeyed. And then came the whistle.

They shot up off the ground like corks out of bottles. Taryn saw the glint of gold flash right next to her ear before it disappeared, flying almost too fast to see. Fred and George were on guard for the bludgers, and Wood looked sharp before the goal posts. Ravenclaw had the quaffle, and that just wasn't going to continue Taryn decided. She shot off after the Ravenclaw chaser, a third year boy. Lee's voice was blaring through the stands.

"And Notting of Ravenclaw has the quaffle, heading for the Gryffindor goals, but ah! Taryn Coffer of Gryffindor has stolen the quaffle. Quite the chaser that girl is proving to be. She passes to Angelina Johnson, pretty girl that one…Sorry Professor! Johnson to Bell, back to Johnson, to Coffer, Coffer scores!" The Gryffindor crowd, along with Fred and George, cheered loudly. Taryn high-fived her fellow chasers before play resumed.

"Ravenclaw in possession of the quaffle but-ouch! After a nice shot with a bludger by one of the Weasley twins, quaffle is taken by Katie Bell. Bell passes to Coffer, Coffer is taking it down the pitch, passes to Johnson, Johnson scores!" Another cheer erupted from the Gryffindor stands.

"The Gryffindor chasers make quite a team, twenty to nothing Gryffindor." Lee was obviously ecstatic. "And now Ravenclaw is once again in possession of the quaffle. Chaser Julia Martin passes Bell, Coffer, Johnson, dodges the bludger and…scores!" Ravenclaw fans cheered now.

The game went on like this for a while, both teams making constant scores. Taryn managed to make several more shots for Gryffindor. The twins swung bludgers at the Ravenclaw team, but tried not to really hit anyone too hard, for fear of injuring a Ravenclaw player too badly or drawing a penalty. Wood did the best he could against the Ravenclaw chasers, and managed to block a good deal of the shots, but some slipped through. He always got angry with himself at this, and the next shot would be punched or kicked away so violently that the quaffle resembled a bludger. Taryn took note of this.

Charlie meanwhile had been keeping a keen eye out for the snitch, high above the rest of play. And suddenly he went into a dive at break-neck speed. The rest of play was frozen, the other seeker spotted the little golden ball and went after it as well. He and Charlie were neck and neck, bumping each other, trying to get that little extra spurt of speed. Everyone was so enthralled that no one was paying attention to the bludgers. At exactly the moment that Charlie caught the snitch and the crowd cheered and Lee was announcing the winning score (two hundred to fifty) Taryn shouted:

"Fred! Look out!" and Fred wheeled around only to have the bludger hit him squarely in the chest.

However the panic at seeing the bludger coming at him had caused Fred to tighten the grip he had on his broom. So, instead of being knocked completely off of it and hurtling toward the ground, he found himself hanging by one hand and finding it hard to breathe. Wood was closest to him and got to him before either of his brothers or Taryn. He shifted the frightened boy onto his broom and safely brought him to the ground.

Taryn touched down next to them a heartbeat afterwards, immediately pulling Fred into a tight hug. George landed a moment after that, and Charlie just after that. Taryn still held Fred in her strong embrace.

"Um, Taryn, ow!" Fred managed to choke out. George and Charlie chuckled at this.

"I'm sorry love!" Taryn squeaked, releasing Fred and looking at him with huge, apologetic eyes.

"It's alright." Fred replied. 'It wasn't really you so much as I think that bludger hit me a bit hard." and considering the fact he was wincing painfully at every inhale, Taryn was sure he was not joking.

"I'll fix you up in the locker room then, no worries!" and she gave a cute and cheerful smile.

The rest of the day, of course, was spent talking about the beautifully played Quidditch match. Much to her delight, Taryn spent a lot of the day talking to Oliver Wood, who was very impressed with her Quidditch skills.

That night, after the rest of the students had gone to bed, Taryn and the twins sat in big squishy armchairs around the fire. Fred was far more tired then either Taryn or his twin, a usual effect of being healed by a Healer. However, his drowsiness did not effect his awareness, or how attuned he was to those closest to him.

"So, you fancy Wood, do you?" he asked with a little grin on his freckled face.

"I do not!" she replied defiantly.

"Oh come off it!" George exclaimed.

"How daft do you think we are?" Fred asked.

"You've been flirting with the bloke all day." George added.

"Kind of annoying really." they commented in unison.

"Oh, you're both mental." Taryn retorted, but they saw the blush on her cheeks.

They talked long into the night, falling asleep there in the armchairs. They were starting to find that it was the only way they could sleep, all three of them together.

Yay, yet another chapter is up! Hope you enjoyed it. Please review! XOXO

Love

Alex 


	7. Another Reason to Hate Slytherin

Chapter Six- Another Reason to Hate Slytherin

The holidays were fast approaching, first term nearly over. Fred, George and Taryn had established themselves as the best pranksters since the Marauders. They were extremely popular, and managed to keep up good marks in all of their classes. Well, almost all of them, even Taryn had issues staying focused in History of Magic. And as for potions, Snape took every opportunity to penalize Gryffindor, but our three pranksters especially. Thankfully they were all three very gifted potions students, which even the hook-nosed potions master would, grudgingly, admit.

The amount of detentions and letters home had been greatly reduced since their discovery of the map in Filch's office. So when a piece of post was carried in by the Coffer's owl, Silverwing, Taryn knew it wasn't going to be to reprimand her. Her beautiful gray owl landed lightly on the table. Silverwing patiently allowed Taryn to untie the note and that day's Daily Prophet. Then the owl nipped Taryn affectionately, took a piece of toast and flew off.

Taryn opened the note while George took the Prophet before Fred could get it. Suddenly Taryn got up from the table angrily and stormed out of the Great Hall. Fred and George looked at the now empty space between them, then at each other, and then looked at the doors to the Great Hall. Simultaneously they got out of their seat and followed Taryn out, abandoning both their breakfasts and Lee, who was looking quite puzzled.

They both saw her leaning against the stone wall of the corridor. The note was crumpled slightly in her right hand, at her side. Her eyes we shut and she was radiating anger. Tentatively they walked up to her.

"What's wrong Ryn?" They asked. She didn't say a word, she just handed the note to George. Then she walked out, walked into the entrance hall and out the front doors. They knew she was heading to the lake, so they took the time to read the note before following her. Written in her mother's net handwriting was a relatively short paragraph.

_Dear Taryn, _

_Hello love, hope this finds you well and happy with your friends at Hogwarts. I'm not going to beat around the bush, I'll just come out and say it. Your father and I won't be home for the holidays this year. We're both very sorry to do this to you, we tried to get ourselves out of it but, well, aurors' work is never done. There have been rumors of dark magic experiments being conducted in Sicily, and since your father and I are fluent in Italian we've been assigned to investigate. We leave two days before you're scheduled to come home. Instead of coming here you'll be staying with the Weasley's for the holidays. Molly said she'd be delighted to have you. _

_Once again, we're both dreadfully sorry. Your gifts from us will be waiting for you at the Burrow. We hope you have a lovely time. Say hi to the whole Weasley family from us. XO_

_Love,_

_Mum and Dad_

Now Fred and George understood. Taryn's parents had never exactly been there for their only child, but they had always spent the holidays with her. Them not even being there for that was a dreadful blow to Taryn. She'd bourn the inattentiveness of her parents with little bitterness for her first eleven years, but this? Fred and George ran out of the doors after their dearest friend.

It was cold out. The early December air and it's accompanying mist caused them both to nearly shiver. Thankfully Taryn was just where they thought she would be, sitting at the base of a willow tree at the edge of the lake. Her arms were crossed and her head was leaning back against the trunk of the tall tree.

Fred sat on hr right side, George on her left, both leaning against her a little. None of them said a word for long while. Then, finally, Taryn spoke up.

" You know, I wish I really was your sister. Your parents have seven kids and your dad works full time for the Ministry and he's never missed a damn thing." she said. The twins kept silent, letting Taryn spill out everything she needed to. " I've spent more time in your house than I have at my own. I've slept more nights there, eaten more meals there. Your parents are more of parents to me then my own have ever been." she was angry, upset and her voice was shaking with the emotions. "And now this! My Mum's cheery little message. The one time of year other than my birthday I thought I could always count on spending with them, and-" her voice broke and she suddenly turned and buried her face in George's shoulder.

Her shoulders were shaking with sobs and Fred and George both looked shocked for a moment. Taryn never cried, ever. She hadn't since they were infants. To see this was unbelievable. They overcame the shock and both hugged her tightly.

"Oh, don't cry Ryn." Fred said softly.

"Please don't." George added, pleadingly. He was always the more sensitive of the twins, more attuned with the feelings of others than Fred. Fred usually just tried to break tensions and lighten moods with a joke, it was his way of dealing with uncomfortable situations.

"I'm sorry." came Taryn's muffled reply. She couldn't seem to stop crying, her shoulders shaking with her silent sobbing. George tightened his embrace and Fred rubbed her back comfortingly. They would do anything to get her stop crying.

"You know, holidays with us won't be _that_ bad." Fred said. He gave George a look that plainly said _play along._

"Yeah really Ryn. Believe it or not, it might not be dreadful." George added.

"And Bill's home for the holidays." they said together, remembering the fact at the same moment.

At this Taryn managed to get herself under control. She and the eldest Weasley boy had a very sweet brother-sister relationship. Ever since she could remember she and Bill had gotten along very well, wrestling and joking with each other.

Taryn sat up and wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry for being such a baby about this." she muttered, gesturing at the note with distaste.

"Don't worry about it." Fred told her.

"We understand. It's alright." George added. He tentatively wiped a tear from her cheek. Taryn smiled softly at him.

"Thanks." she said to both of them as she pulled them into a tight hug. When they all let go Fred glanced down at his watch and his eyes widened.

"Um guys? We have five minutes until we're supposed to be in potions." he informed them urgently. All three jumped up and ran back to the castle.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

A few days later the trio were in the air at the last Quidditch match before the end of term. Everyone was calling it the Christmas Match, the emerald clad Slytherin players and Gryffindor clad in scarlet. Taryn was well known as one of the best chasers Gryffindor had had in a long time. Only ten minutes into the game and Gryffindor was up thirty to nothing thanks to her amazing skill. The freezing, pouring December rain seemed to have no effect on her.

Of course the Slytherin team did not take kindly to being embarrassed by the tiny first year girl. Marcus Flint decided to do something about it. The burly, ugly fifth year was Slytherins prized chaser, and he did not like being shown up. He was going to put a stop to it.

Fred was flying not far below Taryn, and George just over to her left. Unfortunately, none of them noticed Flint shouting at one of the Slytherin beaters and pointing at Taryn, who had the quaffle. She was a good forty feet in the air as Flint's orders took action. The beater swung as hard as he possibly could at an oncoming bludger. It flew right by George, and he was forced to watch in horror as its unstoppable momentum brought it crashing into Taryn's right shoulder.

The quaffle flew from her arms and Taryn flew form her broom. She fell fast through the frigid air, closing her eyes and bracing for an impact that would probably kill her. But Fred saw her and flew faster than he ever had before. He caught her just fifteen feet from the ground, to the astounded and relieved audience's delight. However, the bludger had done more than knock the poor girl flying. When Fred caught her, her newly broken shoulder was jostled in a very painful way. It was too much and Taryn passed out in her friends arms.

When a metamorphmagous is asleep one sees them in their true form, and Taryn therefore changed before Fred's eyes. The hair went from short and blonde to shoulder length and black. The rosy, freckled cheeks became pale and smooth. He was already stunned from seeing her get hurt, from catching her in his arms. George was suddenly at his side.

"C'mon mate, Hooch is flagging you down. Ryn's got to get to the hospital wing now." he said to his twin, though his own voice was faint and shaking slightly.

Together they brought Taryn down to the awaiting Madam Hooch and Madam Pomfrey. They waited with a stretcher to bring the injured girl up to the hospital wing. Fred and George laid her down carefully, making sure not to cause her any unnecessary discomfort. Madam Pomfrey levitated the stretcher to bring Taryn back up to the hospital wing.

The game was now to resume, though all the Gryffindor players were shaky. George noticed that Oliver Wood was looking at Marcus flint with heated fury in his eyes. He made a mental note to inform Taryn later when he went to visit her. The other thing George noticed was that Fred was angrier than he had ever seen his twin before. Flint noticed it as well. They were in the air again when Flint called:

"Oi, Weasley! Whatsa matter? Did I hurt your little girlfriend?" he chuckled.

"Idiot." George muttered. Charlie merely groaned. All the Weasley's had learned long ago not to try to get Fred angry, because when it worked…

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Taryn awoke in the hospital wing hours later. Her shoulder was numb from all of the pain relieving potions Madam Pomfrey had given her. She immediately noticed the warmth of a hand holding hers, and her unfocused eyes managed to pick up the flaming red hair.

"Hey Georgie." she mumbled sleepily.

"Hey there Ryn." George replied with a smile. "How're you feeling?"

Taryn grinned. "I've been better." then her eyes began to adjust and suddenly she was wide awake.

George looked like hell. He had the beginnings of a black eye, bruises on his cheek and chin, and a split lip. His hair was messy and tousled.

"What the hell did I miss exactly?" asked a shocked Taryn. George suddenly looked a bit sheepish.

"Well, before you get mad, we didn't start it, Flint did. He was making fun of you getting hurt, trying to get Fred all angry and well…" he looked at Taryn "it worked. And Fred very angry, and upset about you getting hurt, and he was still holding his bat. Flint asked for it, really! But the thing is, after he beat the crap out of Flint, the rest of the Slytherin team wanted a chance to return the favor." his voice trailed for a second. "The fight went to the ground, and Fred, Charlie, Oliver and I took on the other six guys on the Slytherin team." then he grinned. "The thing is, they kept fueling it more by yelling insults about you, and it got really wild."

"So where's Fred then? McGonagall's office?" Taryn asked. George shook his head and pointed to the bed on Taryn's left. There lay Fred, a practically unscathed Charlie reprimanding him. If Taryn thought George looked bad, he was nothing compared to Fred. The boy was miserable, and still being yelled at by his elder brother.

Then George grinned again and said "You'll be happy to know who got particularly upset bout all the insults Slytherin was spewing about you." he shifted slightly so she could see the bed to her right.

Oliver Wood lay on it, chatting and joking with a few of his fellow Gryffindor fourth years. His head was wrapped in bandages, but he looked quite pleased with himself.

George got Taryn's attention back and said "But, if you think we look bad, you should see the other guys." He jerked a thumb to the other wall behind him.

There were all seven members of the Slytherin Quidditch team, groaning and whining about what the Gryffindors had done. Taryn laughed. She stopped abruptly however when Snape glided into the room, looking furious.

He didn't even spare a passing glance at anyone on either team, until he got to Flint's bedside.

"Mr. Flint, your actions today were disgraceful. Yes, I saw you tell Mr. Roney to do something about Ms. Coffer." he sounded genuinely angry. "She's an eleven year old girl Flint, next time handle the situation differently."

George and taryn exchange bewildered glances. Snape yelling at one of his own house-members for doing something to a Gryffindor? Nothing like it had ever been thought possible. What they didn't hear was Snape adding quietly:

"Next time go for a Weasley. That will incapacitate one player and cause the girl to be…off her game." and then he swept back out of the hospital wing.

Hey, another chapter! I almost felt bad putting Taryn through all that in one chapter. I also couldn't resist putting some evil Snape in there. And is there something going on between Oliver and Taryn? Hmmm, even I'm not sure where that's going just yet. Hope you'll stick around to find out. Please review! XOXO

Love

Alex


	8. The Night Before Christmas

Hello everyone! Sorry about the lack of updates. I know that everyone was probably getting geared up for a holiday chapter. The thing is, it's August and frankly I'm not in the state of mind to write about a Christmas morning. I hope you like what I write instead. I promise. Around the holiday season I'll do a really great Christmas chapter.

Chapter 7- The Night before Christmas

It was eleven o'clock on the night before Christmas everyone in the Burrow had already gone to bed. Even Fred and George were in their beds, though not sleeping. They were awake and scheming. And then a sound disturbed them.

Taryn was down the hall in Ginny's room, bunking there as she always had every time she slept at the Burrow. The sound was coming from that room, they could tell. Silently Fred slipped out of the bed and over to the door, opening it slowly. Then he gestured for George to come with him, and together they crept down the hall.

The sound came was clearer now that they were in that hall. It got even clearer as they neared the door of the girls' room. A soft whimper, the sound of someone tossing and turning uneasily in their bed. The door was open a crack and they peered in. They had a perfect view of Ginny's bed, and she was sleeping peacefully, red hair fanned out on her green pillowcase. So that meant…

They opened the door and revealed Taryn's bed.

She was tossing and turning and turning. Her brow was creased and her lips moved, no words escaping, just the occasional groan. Her sheets were twisted and thrown back from her a bit, revealing her blue flannel pajamas. Obviously she was in the middle of a particularly awful nightmare.

Fred and George exchanged looks of indecision.

"I s'pose we should wake her up." Fred said, obviously unsure.

"Er, yeah, you're right." George said. He sat down t the foot of the bed.

Fred walked up to Taryn's bedside. He went down on his knees and tentatively put a hand on Taryn's shoulder.

"Ryn, Ryn, wake up." he called to her softly, giving her a gentle shake.

They were startled when she shot up, lavender eyes round with fear. It seemed to take her a moment before she realized where she was. She was trembling slightly as the fear faded from her eyes.

"Oh." she let out a shaky breath. "Just a dream."

George scooted up next to Taryn and put an arm around her shoulders. "Are you okay?" he asked.

She looked at him and nodded. Fred took her hand.

"Do you think you'll be able to fall back asleep?" he asked her.

Taryn nodded again. "I've been managing." she said.

George's eyes widened. "You mean this been happening?" he was incredulous.

At Taryn's next nodded response, Fred mad e a suggestion. "Why don't you come back to our room?"

"Yeah, you'll be able to fall asleep if we're right there, right?" he added hopefully.

"Mhmm, I think so." Taryn replied softly. And with that the twins lead her back to their bedroom. She crawled into bed with George, who wasn't as prone to tossing in his sleep as Fred. They lay on their backs, whispering and laughing, planning their pranks and wondering about what presents they might be opening in the morning. Fred took a look at his watch as they all began to get sleepier and the conversation became more yawning then speaking.

"Hey, it's two o'clock." he remarked sleepily. " Merry Christmas guys."

"Merry Christmas Fred." Taryn and George replied.

"Merry Christmas Ryn." George said with a yawn.

"Merry Christmas George." Taryn replied. He had already drifted off to sleep, and she was not long after.

Okay, I know, it sort of sucked. This was just filler really, sorry guys! Review anyway! XOXO

Love,

Alex


	9. Out with a Bang

I would like to apologize profusely for the lack of updates. Took a nice trip before the end of the summer holidays. Hopefully this chapter will make it up to my loyal readers. Enjoy!

Chapter Eight- Ending First Year with A Bang

Second term was excellent, bringing with it pranks, Quidditch and first Taryn's and then the twins' birthdays. The newly twelve year old pranksters began scheming for their end of the year finale during mid-April. For a long while they were stuck, not sure what to plan that they would be able to pull off with resources that were limited by this point of the year.

The map had assisted them in the discovery of many amazing passage ways. The Marauders had even been nice enough to put the secrets of the passages on the map. They would only appear when you were standing directly in front of the passage.

And then, one day George spotted something very interesting on the map. A hidden room in the to floor of the Astronomy tower. In the dead of night they snuck up to the tower.

They stood directly in front of where the entrance to the room was supposed to be. All they saw was a stretch of wall. They looked at the map intently as they tapped the wall, tried spells, and shouted random words at it.

"Wait a moment." Taryn said. "I've got an idea." She placed the tip of her wand on the seventh stone up from the floor. "I command you to reveal this entrance." she said in a commanding tone. Suddenly, beginning at the point of Taryn's wand, the stone of the wall turned into a door of vivid cherry wood. An ornate knob sprouted on the left side of the newly discovered door.

"How do you do that?" asked Fred and George incredulously.

"Don't know, I guessed." Taryn replied.

"But that's exactly what we mean though." George said. "How do you always manage to guess this sort of thing correctly?"

"I suppose I'm just lucky like that." Taryn told him with a nonchalant shrug of the shoulders.

"You know what? At this point I've learned it's better not to question a good thing." Fred announced. "I'd rather have a look at what's behind that door."

"Excellent point." George said, dropping the subject entirely. "Ladies first." he said to Taryn.

Taryn made the face of someone who had tasted something particularly rancid. "Don't call me lady, it makes me sound old or something." she said in a tone of distaste.

The three of them exchanged looks and snorted with laughter. As they calmed down Taryn reached out and opened the door.

"I knew there had to be a loo up here somewhere!" Fred exclaimed as they walked into the hidden lavatory. "I just knew the founders wouldn't intentionally make people descend all those stairs when they needed to pee."

The laughter was renewed as the trio made plans to tell some of there class mates about the discovery. It was true that it would be far more convenient to excuse themselves to use the toilet during astronomy class. The location of a window at the far end of the lavatory gave Fred another idea for a use of the hidden room as well.

"Oi, maybe we'll hold off on telling everyone where this is for a bit." he said to the others, a mischievous expression on his freckled face.

George looked at him curiously and Taryn asked "Why?" in an almost apprehensive tone. You never really knew what might come out of Fred's mouth next.

However this time it was just pure brilliance. They knew what their first year finale would be.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

It was the day of the end of year feast and Fred, George, Taryn and Lee walked down from the astronomy tower looking quite pleased with themselves. Unfortunately, Percy caught them on the wy to the feast and apparently thought they were acting rather suspiciously.

"What have you four been doing?" he questioned them.

"Nothing Percy." said George complacently.

"Honestly, we were just taking a quick walk 'round the castle before summer holidays." Fred assisted.

"Yeah Perce, don't worry." Lee input innocently.

"Honestly, what do you think we'd be doing on the last day?" Taryn asked. All four exchanged a look as Percy began to list a few of the things he suspected might be on their agenda for the final day of term.

"Right, sorry I asked." Taryn interrupted.

"Bloody hell Perce, you really think we're bad kids huh?" said Fred, his face an innocent display of hurt that looked almost genuine.

"Wow, our own brother thinks we're no good." George continued, hands in the pockets of his robes and hanging his head. Lee said nothing. He was struggling to keep a straight face through the twins' performance and was sure that if he opened his mouth he'd begin to laugh.

Percy looked as though he felt guilty. He was actually falling for their performance. "Fred, George, that's not-" he began.

"Forget it." they said in unison.

"Let's just head down to the feast, 'kay?" Taryn said to them, putting a hand on each of there shoulders and throwing Percy a reproachful look as they headed for the feast.

The moment they were out of earshot of Percy the three of them went into fits of hysterical laughter.

"You deserve awards for that performance, honestly." Lee said, wiping a tear from his eye.

Fred and George managed to pull themselves together for a bow. George was hiccupping a little as he often did when he laughed very hard. Taryn meanwhile was clutching her sides slightly still because of how sore they had become as she laughed loud and hard with the boys.

"Can't wait till it happens and he realizes we really were up to no good." she said quietly in case anyone came across them in the hall. They chuckled lightly s they predicted his reaction.

They walked into the Great Hall and took the four seats that Charlie had purposefully saved for them next to himself. Taryn went to take her usual spot between the twins but George instead took the seat next to his twin so that Taryn ended up on the end of the five of them. For a moment she was puzzled as to why he did it, and then she noticed that this put her next to Oliver Wood.

She sat down and gave the twins a slight glare as she did. They grinned their prankster grins back at her. Oliver noticed and suddenly he struck up conversation. It was small talk really, and a lot about next Quidditch season.

"Ya know, to tell ya the truth, I'm a bit nervous." he confided in her, his cheeks pink.

Taryn looked at the handsome Irish third year and asked, "Why's that?" in a sweet tone usually reserved for keeping up her 'cute and innocent' reputation with unsuspecting students that she, Fred and George would pull pranks on minutes later. However this time the tone was genuine and had a new-found level of softness to it that made the fourteen year old feel as though he could tell her even his deepest secrets safely.

"Well, I'll be captain next year, and…" his cheeks flushed slightly darker and he looked up at her slightly. "I don't really know if I'll be able to handle it." he finished in an embarrassed tone.

Taryn felt an urge to pull Oliver into a tight hug right then and there, and it was only through an enormous amount of will power that she stopped herself. Instead she put a reassuring hand on his strong shoulder.

"I think you'll do just fine, captain." she said, smiling at him. "And, Charlie will be there to show you the ropes, there's no way anything can go wrong. And if somehow it does, what do you think is gonna happen? This team is really close knit Wood, mistakes will be forgiven and forgotten." she told him.

"Thanks Taryn." Wood said to her, grinning at her with knew found confidence. "Ya know what, for a first year, you're alright."

Taryn rolled her eyes but smiled at him still. "Yeah well, for a teenage boy, you're…tolerable." she replied. She winked at his reaction of mock indignation. Then the hall went silent as Dumbledore rose to speak.

"So, we say goodbye to another splendid year at Hogwarts." he began. "I hope you've all enjoyed it as immensely as I have. But there is some business that still calls for our attention before we all depart for the summer holidays. The house cup." everyone became much more interested in what Dumbledore was saying suddenly.

"In fourth place, with three-hundred and fifteen points, is Slytherin." there was a weak applause and many half-stifled sniggers from the student body. "In third place, with three-hundred and fifty-five points, is Hufflepuff." the applause for this house was far more heartfelt. "In second place, with four-hundred and ten points, is Gryffindor." though not the champions the table still applauded loudly, then silence fell as Dumbledore continued.

"And in first place, the winner of the House Cup, is Ravenclaw with four-hundred

And seventy-five points." the Great Hall erupted with applause and cheers.

"Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure." sang out the Ravenclaw students heartily s the decorations were made blue and gold in their honor and everywhere was the huge eagle crest of the house.

"Yes, congratulations Ravenclaw." said Dumbledore. And that was when it happened.

Visible through the enchanted ceiling was an impressive display of Filibuster's No-Heat Wet-Start Fireworks. It began with blue and gold eagles flying beautifully through the air before ending in iridescent flowers in a huge aerial bouquet, courtesy of Taryn.

Then came Lee's tribute to Gryffindor. A single crimson spark into view. Suddenly it exploded and became the huge crimson-maned, golden lion of Gryffindor house. It opened it's fiery jaws to let out an earth-shaking roar and it let out dozens of red and gold fireworks out before exploding in a bloom of fiery color.

George had gladly taken on Hufflepuff for the display. First came a wall of gold that bathed the entire hall in its light. It remained in order to stage a background for the black and sliver badger the suddenly appeared. The adorable creature rose up onto its hind legs in the same position as it would be in the Hogwarts crest before dissolving gracefully into black stars against the golden back ground that faded out to reveal the final piece of the display.

Fred had actually volunteered for Slytherin. He had called it before anyone else chose which house they wanted to do. The others had gladly allowed him, eager to see what he would do. Up into the sky shot a huge golden serpent, tongue out in a hiss. It very quickly began to dissolve, starting at the tail with the amplified sound of a particularly wet raspberry. The tongue was all that was left of the huge serpent, and it appeared to fall out of the sky, much to the amusement of the students and some of the staff members. This obviously did not include the Slytherin students or Professor Snape. They all looked positively livid.

The Great Hall was filled with hysterical laughter and loud applause. Wood gave Taryn a slight nudge.

"That was you lot, wasn't it?" he asked her, still chuckling slightly.

"Possibly." she replied, her own mischievous grin in place. As she turned to talk to Fred, George and Lee she caught sight of Percy's face. He looked absolutely furious and his expression dissolved Taryn's little remaining resolve. She was laughing hard again.

Charlie was actually congratulating the four of them on the show.

"That was brilliant!" he exclaimed. "It looked professional."

"Well," began Fred.

"We are professional," George continued.

"Troublemakers." concluded Taryn.

"We should start patenting these pranks." Lee added with a huge smile on his face.

Even Dumbledore found it amusing. "A very impressive display. And, I think, the perfect note to bid you all farewell and a very nice summer."

I hope that at least partially made up for the lack of updates. I promise I'll be updating frequently, every few days or 'll probably be some time-skips in the next couple of chapters, just to forewarn you. I have many ideas but in order to get to them chunks of time in between now and then will have to be over-looked. I want to thank those people who have reviewed and kindly request that more people do so. XOXO

Love,

Alex


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